Canton Repository - "Five want to replace Regula

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Canton Repository - "Five want to replace Regula

Stark County voters, you may not realize you live in the 16th Congressional district. The number itself and any explanation of the area it includes has been irrelevant for decades.

Most of you may know it as Ralph Regula's district.

It's probably easier to remember it that way. Like calling all bandages Band-Aids or all gelatin Jell-O. But Regula is retiring. Five new candidates want you to select them as his replacement in Congress.

The first step is the March 4 primary election.

Democrats John Boccieri and Mary Cirelli will meet in that party's race. Republicans Kirk Schuring, Matt Miller and Paul Schiffer will battle in that primary. The winner from each side advances to the November general election.

So, who are these people?

THE REPUBLICANS

Among the Republicans, Schiffer and Miller are the most conservative. A radio talk show host, Schiffer walked in a "March for Life" event in Washington, D.C., last month. Miller, an Ashland County commissioner, believes strongly in pro-life, traditional marriage, and he attends the evangelistic Church of the Saviour in Wooster. Schuring is more moderate on some issues than his opponents. He prefers to look at himself as a "pragmatic conservative."

Regula has endorsed Schuring for the seat he's held through 18 elections and 36 years. It's just one in a pile of endorsements Schuring has in his campaign for the seat that represents Stark, as well as Wayne, Medina and Ashland counties. That includes everyone from State Sen. Ron Amstutz, from Wayne, and State Rep. Bob Gibbs, from Ashland, to all three Medina County commissioners.

"Our nation and our state are at a crossroads," Schuring said.

A state senator and former state representative from Jackson Township, Schuring has a combined 14 years as a Columbus lawmaker. He said that time has prepared him well to be a national lawmaker. Among issues he feels strongly about is illegal immigration. It's an example that Washington, D.C., needs fixed, he said

"The fact we're even debating something that is illegal is a good indication," the married father of two said. During this recent state session, Schuring sponsored 11 bills and co-sponsored 83 others.

The most recent federal campaign finance reports, covering activity through the end of 2007, show Schuring with a money advantage on his opponents. He has more than $115,000 on hand, compared to $53,000 for Miller and zero for Schiffer. However, Schiffer said he'll have funds available.

Miller made a name for himself in the district two years ago when he challenged Regula in the primary. He trounced Regula by a 4-to-1 margin in Ashland County, Miller's home. He didn't fare as well in other sections but still collected better than 41 percent of the vote.

Miller sums up his political stances around these beliefs: Less government, lower taxes, personal responsibility, individual freedom, stronger families, domestic tranquility and national defense.

He said he hasn't stopped campaigning since 2006. Too many career politicians, he added, see Congress as a good place to end their careers and retire. Miller said he owes no one any political favors.

"I am the candidate who represents the next generation," he said.

Schiffer hosts "The Schiffer Report" on RighTalk radio. He has hosted similar programs, both regionally and nationally, since 1990. Before that, he was a pro-life movement leader in Ohio, including time as director of the Right to Life Society in Cleveland and worked for Operation Rescue.

Three times, Schiffer was pounded by better than 2-to-1 margins in races for the Ohio House and Senate. In 1992 and 1996, Democrat William Healy beat Schiffer. In 1998, fellow Republican Scott Oelslager beat Schiffer in the primary.

"This is the opportunity of a lifetime," Schiffer said, adding that he's talked about conservative politics, and it's time to act. "I have a love for Capitol Hill. I'd be ready on day one."

Schiffer touts his work in the 1990s with The Better Government Bureau of America, based in Canton. On his Web site, he credited local leaders Ben Suarez, Rodney Napier and Kenneth Nickalo with helping to engage battles with "liberal government officials and bureaucracies, including: The FDA, EPA, Department of Labor, The Clinton Administration, Hillary Clinton's Socialized medicine agenda, the United Nations; and out of control, overly zealous State Attorney's General and different state government officials."

THE DEMOCRATS

Cirelli said local Democratic party members strongly encouraged her not to run against Boccieri. "Even threatened me," she said. "But anybody who knows me, knows that's a mistake."

She said it has emboldened her, even though her opponent has raked in endorsements and money.

"The only endorsement I need are people's votes," said Cirelli, a Canton City Council at-large member with a long record of public service. Besides her current job, she holds these 'former' titles, dating to 1984: Ward 3 council, at-large council, Stark County commissioner and Ohio House member.

Campaign finance reports show Cirelli with no money, compared to more than $308,000 for Boccieri.

"When it comes to money, he's Goliath and I'm David, but when it comes to public service, I'm Goliath," said Cirelli, a widow.

She points out she lives in the district. Boccieri does not. He lives in New Middletown in Mahoning County. That area lies within the 6th Congressional District, a seat once held by Gov. Ted Strickland, now occupied by Charlie Wilson. Congress members are not required to live in the district they represent.

"Her whole campaign is about where I put my head on a pillow at night," Boccieri said. "My whole campaign is about where people go to work in the morning."

The married father of three plans to move to Alliance when his children finish this school year. A former Ohio House member and now a state senator, Boccieri said he has represented people from portions of four congressional districts during his stints as a state lawmaker.

"I never imagined I'd be here now," Boccieri said.

A baseball player at Youngstown Ursuline High, he led the team to a state title. He played at St. Bonaventure University in New York, where he led the NCAA in stolen bases and graduated with an economics degree.

After enlisting in the Air Force, he earned master's degrees in public administration and business from Webster University.

A major in the Air Force Reserve, Boccieri has served four duty rotations in Iraq and Afghanistan, piloting a C-130 transport plane. He figured he'd be flying commercial aircraft for a living at this point.

Boccieri said he's seen first-hand how much money the U.S. government has poured into Iraq, money that he said could do plenty of good at home.

"We've got to put America first," he said.

Among those who've endorsed him: Gov. Ted Strickland, Gen. Wesley Clark, Ohio AFL-CIO, and Stark County Black Caucus. In the most recent state senate session, Boccieri sponsored 14 bills and co-sponsored 73 others.

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